Here are some key points about the Drake Passage ¹ ² ³:
*What is the Drake Passage?*
The Drake Passage is a body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
*Geography*
- The Drake Passage connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.
- The passage is approximately 1,000 kilometers long.
- The average depth of the Drake Passage is 3,400 meters, with the deepest part measuring 4,800 meters below the water surface near the southern and northern boundaries.
- The sediments on the seafloor vary from sandy to clayey silts immediately south of Tierra del Fuego, with an increasing predominance of ice-rafted materials near Antarctica.
*Climate*
- The Drake Passage acts as a zone, separating Tierra del Fuego’s subpolar, humid, and cool conditions from Antarctica’s polar region.
- The westerly winds over the passage are more intense around Cape Horn in Chile.
- The air and surface water temperatures vary across the passage, with the average air temperature ranging from 41 degrees Fahrenheit in the north to 27 degrees Fahrenheit in the south.
*Importance*
- The Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make due to currents at its latitude meeting no resistance from any landmass, and waves can top 40 feet.
- The passage is the narrowest crossing from Antarctica to another landmass.
- The presence of the Drake Passageway allows the three main ocean basins (Atlantic, Pacific and Indian) to be connected via the Antarctic Circumpolar current (ACC), the strongest oceanic current, with an estimated transport of 100–150 Sv (Sverdrups, million m3/s).
*What is the Drake Passage?*
The Drake Passage is a body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina, and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
*Geography*
- The Drake Passage connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.
- The passage is approximately 1,000 kilometers long.
- The average depth of the Drake Passage is 3,400 meters, with the deepest part measuring 4,800 meters below the water surface near the southern and northern boundaries.
- The sediments on the seafloor vary from sandy to clayey silts immediately south of Tierra del Fuego, with an increasing predominance of ice-rafted materials near Antarctica.
*Climate*
- The Drake Passage acts as a zone, separating Tierra del Fuego’s subpolar, humid, and cool conditions from Antarctica’s polar region.
- The westerly winds over the passage are more intense around Cape Horn in Chile.
- The air and surface water temperatures vary across the passage, with the average air temperature ranging from 41 degrees Fahrenheit in the north to 27 degrees Fahrenheit in the south.
*Importance*
- The Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make due to currents at its latitude meeting no resistance from any landmass, and waves can top 40 feet.
- The passage is the narrowest crossing from Antarctica to another landmass.
- The presence of the Drake Passageway allows the three main ocean basins (Atlantic, Pacific and Indian) to be connected via the Antarctic Circumpolar current (ACC), the strongest oceanic current, with an estimated transport of 100–150 Sv (Sverdrups, million m3/s).
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